I had four wonderful days off. Thurdsay I didn’t do a lot. I did take MIL to her eye doctor’s appointment. I mowed the lawn. Played with the dogs. Quiet time with Mike.
Friday, I read a book. The Road To Cana, by Anne Rice. I loved it. I came away with questions about the life of Jesus. Some of my questions can be answered on the internet and some will just have to wait til I get There. I like books that challenge what you have learned over the years and this one did, in subtle ways. (Yes, I do own a few Bibles, but it is easier to plug it into google- I’m all for easy!) More time with Mike.
Saturday, I did a little housework. Then Roger and Ali came over to visit. Roger and I went car shopping on Tuesday. He test drove a lot of used cars. He finally decided on the first car we tried. He needed a different car as the one he had has a rusted frame and the truck we let him use cost too much to do all the traveling he does between home and work. He seems to be really maturing. He has a job working with people with disabilities. He seems to enjoy his work. I worked at the same group home a few years ago and I loved the residents.
Ali had reason to celebrate this week, she got her driver license. I am proud of her. She would have gotten it last week but her brakes went out during the test!
They brought her little brother along on Saturday. He is too cute. But I forgot to take pictures. He will be 5 this Wednesday. My how time flies. We are planning a weekend at Pittsburgh next month. We will go shopping, spend the night at a hotel and then go to the Zoo! Ali’s family will be going, too! Mike won’t go. He’s not a people person and he works every weekend.
Sunday, I went to Mom and Dad’s. My Dad has been in declining health for years. He suffered a series of small strokes a few years ago and as a result, suffers from dementia, to a degree. They are in the process of buying out my aunt’s share of my grandmother’s farm. Mom is doing this because she says she had been programmed to do this from birth. She (and my aunt) know this is what Granny wanted. The farm will stay in the family. Dad had to sign his income tax papers a couple weeks ago and had to be coached; I spelled it for him and he wrote. He did great, remembering how to write with just a little prompting. But he wasn’t satisfied. When he and Mom talked about the purchase of the farm, he told her he would like to be able to sign his name. So now he practices. It’s bittersweet. On one hand, it’s sad that he practices like a child, but on the other, he still has the ability to do it. I know that there are a lot of older people who forget how to write at all. And practicing everyday can’t hurt.
My sister and I took off on her new ATV. We went to the farm next door. It pretty much surrounds Mom and Dad’s farm on three sides.
It belongs to the City of Canton. When i was little it was called the sewage farm. It was also the city dump. It had been mined and then reclaimed. They are planning to make it into a public park. It has many roads and beautiful vistas. We used to trail ride on it.
This is a dogwood tree that is growing amongst the pine trees that were planted.

This next photo is of my childhood home where Mom and Dad still live. They raised 8 kids in this house.

A tornado struck the area a few years back. This is one of the trees that was damaged, but life goes on.

This shows the new pond my brother added to the yard. Also the flowering crabapple. That entire backyard was barren most of the years I was growing up. And, often, I had to mow it.

This is my entry for this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge: What’s on your feet?
This first pic was not hard to get at all. It is of one of my dogs, Cubby, he likes to rest his head on my feet.

The next one was a total surprise. It is my cat, Tud. He does not usually like to touch my feet except to bite them. But when he saw me taking Cub’s picture, he ran over and laid down for his snapshot. And he’s such a brat, he’s winking at the camera.

I’m sorry this is last minute, but I was working on Amish Friendship Bread. This is ten days in the making.

The first few days you knead one cup of batter, twice a day. This is easy as the batter is enclosed in a ziploc baggie. You just squeeze it for a few minutes.

On the 6th day, you add sugar flour and milk. And knead. Repeat the kneading until day ten. The bag blows up, and you release as much air as possible every time.

On day ten you add more milk, flour and sugar. Then make four one-cup starter bags. These are meant to be given to friends. Now you add other ingredients to the remaining batter. I chose to make a chocolate Amish Bread.

Then bake.

Then eat. Enjoy!!

this week has sucked, so far.
My back was still hurting Sunday night at work. Our upstairs aides had fallen behind schedule, so the other nurse and myself decided to help out. The only thing I could do was brush 15 sets of dentures. I swear, has no one ever heard of taking a drink after you eat to wash food out of your mouth? Almost all of them had food caked on their false teeth. YUK!
Monday, I took my mother-in-law to her appointment with the eye doctor. She had a detached retina in January, She had to sit in a face down position for three weeks. The retina was reattached, but she had developed a hole in the macula of that same eye. Another two weeks in the face down position. It didn’t work. So the doc said surgery would fix the macula. So, she made an appointment for surgery for today. When she went to her pre-surgery exam on Monday, the doctor was very shocked and despondent when he announced the retina had detached again! So she had surgery to fix the retina and the macula today. She’s probably looking at another three weeks in the face down position. These surgeries take 3 hours. The doc likes a family member to stay at the hospital until the patient comes out of surgery. BORING! But I did read a whole book and it was good.
So, I went to pick her up this morning and we used her car. My son is training for his job this week and has to drive 100 miles a day. He’s driving our pickup truck which is a gas hog! I decided to let him use my economical car for work, because I have to pay for the gas because he hasn’t gotten a paycheck yet. I brought my MIL home at 5 p.m. She asked me to take her car into town to get it washed. I stopped at home to take my son to get supper. We went to Wendy’s then the car wash. I paid for a wash with my debit card, but I wasn’t sure if it took. Since the proper lights didn’t come on, and the wash worked for the guy in front of me, I decided I should use cash. Stupid. I put $10.00 in and got $2.00 in change and No Car Wash!!! So I decided I needed to get the phone number that they so thoughtfully posted on the building to report problems. No pen. I’m a nurse, I had no pen. Because I gave it to the lady at the drive through yesterday who gave me a pencil to sign a charge slip on my debit card.
So I memorized the number and promptly forgot it, because as I left the car wash my MIL’s car began dying. Now I was on my way to the gas station, because I was going to fill up the car so I could take MIL to her eye appointment at 7:30 am tomorrow. I had a quarter tank of gas. The car acted as if it were running out of gas and made it into the driveway of the gas station. I couldn’t get it to the pump because there’s a hill that the pump sets on. My son and I couldn’t push the station wagon up that hill. So I went inside and bought a gas can and and a gallon of gas. I came back out and my son and two of his friends pushed the car to the pump. The kid took the can back in and got the $8.50 back. I filled the car. Turned the key in the ignition. It didn’t turn over.
SO… for the next ten minutes I asked everybody if they had jumper cables. Nope, uh-uh, nada, zip. Now, we live in a farm community. Not some big city. and NOBODY had jumper cables. I then went to the pay phone to call AAA. Guess what? The phone didn’t work. Of course. I didn’t have my cell phone because I loaned it to my son and it was in my NEW car, parked in my driveway. So, luckily, the nice ladies at the gas station dialed AAA for me and the nice man (in another state) assured me that a tow truck driver would be sent in 45 min. Now, I was incredulous about this, because the business that AAA was calling out was less than half a mile down the road from the gas station I was at. I went back to the dead car that my son had pushed to an empty space in front of the station. There we sat for 15 minutes and I raged about the bad luck I was having in that hour. Not knowing what else to do, so I just tried the ignition again. It turned over! Yay!
I let the car idle while I went back in the store and called AAA to cancel the tow truck.
Oh… don’t celebrate prematurely. No No NO.
As I walked out the door, I heard the car shudder to death. I actually got in the car and had a small breakdown, swearing and hitting the car. I’m sure people probably thought I was nuts. eh.
My son went into the station to call his grandparents for help. In the meantime, the tow truck for AAA pulled in the space next to me. He didn’t get the cancellation call! He jumped the battery and it ran for a couple minutes and died. He tried again a few more times. Then he decided the alternator belt needed replaced. My in-laws were sending my BIL to help. I asked the tow truck to stick around because BIL would likely want it towed to the farm so he could fix it. He did and it was.

I was supposed to go to an important meeting this evening. I didn’t make it.
Don’t you wish you were me?

Dear Tater40,
I will get to the reason for that nickname later. But let me tell you about the next thirty years. You’re in college now. This coming November will be a big time in your life. Your deadbeat dad will try to come back into your brothers’ lives, but will be very rude about you. Understand that it is because you are the youngest of the four of you and he doesn’t know you. You were one when they were divorced. You do the right thing though, you choose to focus on Dad. This is a time he needs it. There’s a heart bypass operation coming up for him. At the end of November, your biological father passes, and you are right to get indignant with Diane across the hall when she presumes that you are cold-hearted because you’re more worried about Dad.
You will have to quit college, but you’ll get into nursing school next year. Don’t worry. Now, I’m going to tell you, you will work two jobs over the summer. You will work weekends at the KOA and afternoons at Waltz’s. The gang at Waltz’s is great and spend as much time as you can with David. He is a great friend and enjoy the Doobie Brothers at Blossom with him. It is only friends, but he introduces you to the ‘first’ boyfriend. He turns out to be a casual fling and leaves for Texas. David consoles you and for the next two years, is one of your best friends. If I could change anything, it would be to remain in touch with David.
Pay special attention to Cordelia, too. That black lump she shows you on her chest wall is not good, as you suspect. She is a priceless friend to your mother and to you.
Carol talks to you about her brother-in-law, but don’t pay any attention. It all works out.
Don’t be surprised in the early ’80′s when you suspect your new brother-in-law is some kind of degenerate. It turns out that he is. Protect those nieces. I know you will, because you did. Who cares if your sister doesn’t talk to you?
On a side note, the night before you go to the fair with the girls, look at their hair. Don’t freak out. It’s only lice and although you’ll feel creepy, you can get through it. Don’t wait ’til morning, like I did.
Tim is married when you meet him. But he is worth knowing and is soon divorced. Just remember he’s not for you. Don’t think you’ll get him to settle down. Ain’t gonna happen. But you can still have fun.
I don’t think I should go into the Tom saga. He’s just a black sheep. He will tell you this, too. Don’t think you’ll settle him down either.
The reason I’m not sorry for this interlude is the result- Roger. Although you may think you’ll never have children, rest assured you have one. Just let me tell you, when he has that first little temper tantrum at age three, look at the skin behind his ears and realize it is allergies. This might save him a year and a half of hell. Oh, and it will help you, too. And beware, he gets very weird afflictions: scarlet fever, really bad chicken pox, an infected uvula, just to name a few.
Now, DO remember every little detail of your date with Mike. He’s the one and you know it right away. He calls you tater because you like potato chips.
You might want to listen to Granny a little better about your finances. She is very savvy about money. Also, go visit her often and talk to her frankly about dementia.
In the early 90’s, you advise Mom and Dad to move out west for his health. I hope to keep him out of the hospital by telling you to tell them to bypass Artesia. They should go straight to Roswell. Mom knows you have “feelings” about places and people at times and are usually right.
Now, those darn cramps that make you sick every month will end in 1995 with a hysterectomy. You will impress the doc with “fibroids- too many to count” on the pathology report. You get to keep your ovaries for another 14 years.
You will begin smoking in nursing school of all places, and you quit in 1993. And that weight problem? Just gets worse. You will almost die. Depression sets in. But you will lose a lot of weight by going under the knife again. You will feel reborn.
Don’t let that church get under your skin. One person, Kay, is not what she professes to be. And others may have hidden agendas that aren’t very Christian. Just go with what you know.
These are some of the highlights of the past thirty years. Basically , just be you and you will be fine. Sure you’ll make bad decisions but look at them as providence. Without them to form your life, you wouldn’t be me.

Mike and I have decided it is time to update our twenty year old kitchen. I ran onto a deal for ceiling panels and had them in the back of my parents’ vehicle. They came to visit yesterday and I thought I was still young and hefted them into the house. There were three packages. I carried two and then on the third I felt this familiar feeling as a disk in my lower back slipped. My mom and I managed to get the third package in the house. I took some tylenol and did nothing else for the remainder of the day. I woke up this morning and my back feels better. I think I can go into work this afternoon, I just won’t be pushing the med cart or lifting anybody. It will mean carrying the meds on a tray, but I can deal with that.
I just read a story about four thieves in Cincinnatti who stole candy from a candy store. They were found by police following a trail of candy bar wrappers. One of the suspects was a 19 year-old mother of an infant. She took the baby with her! Now, I have a long and varied history with candy, resulting in gastric bypass surgery, but I can’t imagine stealing from a candy store! Or being stupid enough to leave a trail of wrappers. OR take a baby with me when I am robbing said store! Sheesh!
Of course, I am wondering what kind of human I am, because I also read a story about an Amish man who is in the hospital after an accident. His buggy was hit by a vehicle after the buggy went left of center. The Amish man is in serious condition. I was sorry to hear this but my humanity comes into play when think how concerned I was about the horse. Evidently the reporter was an animal lover, too. The story said the horse was uninjured.
It’s raining today, but is also warm. So I think I can stand it. The forecast earlier in the week called for wet snow on Sunday. It has now changed to rain with a high of 45 degrees. But no snow! I might be able to cope with that, too.

Having just worked the afternoon shift, I was greeted upon my arrival home by the blinking light of my answering machine. There were three messages.
I fed the dogs and loaded the dishwasher before I turned my attention to the recordings.
The first was a message from the library telling me a book I had requested was in. The second was from my sister, asking me to call her in the morning. I was tempted to call her and wake her up, just for fun, but in the end decided against it.
The third call went like this:
“This call is for Jared. This is Jillian Hartong at the Superior County Courthouse. I am calling to inform you that you do not have to testify in the court hearing of John Bottoms. Mr . Bottoms agreed to a plea bargain this afternoon. Once again, you do not have to testify.”
I did not realize that my teenage son might have to testify in the murder trial of the decade for the next county over. I knew he had went to the sheriff’s office with information about Mr. Bottoms and the victim, Jordan Ames. I did not think he would be expected to testify. I didn’t want him tied to the murder.
Jared worked at a haunted house on weekends in the fall. John Bottoms also worked there as well as another guy, Greg James. Jared said Bottoms and James were decidedly different characters at work, but never thought they were homicidal.
Jordan Ames was Jared’s age. He and Jared were acquainted but not close friends. Jared knew Jordan to be a bit of a follower. He would do pretty much anything to make a friend.
One evening after work, Jared headed to the area teen center. There he saw Bottoms and James, who said they were looking for Jordan Ames. They said that Ames had made an improper suggestion to Bottoms wife, Melinda. They made a remark referring to what they would do to Jordan if they found him.
The next day, Jordan’s body was discovered in a nearby lake. He had been beaten, shot and dumped in the water. The coroner said he was murdered three days before.
Someone reported seeing a pickup truck on a lake access road three days earlier. Three people were in it. The witness had written down the license plate number because he thought they were dumping garbage, The plate came back to Bottoms.
When Jared heard the news he was concerned because of the conversation with Bottoms and James. He decided to go to the sheriff’s office with his information. I had raised him to do the right thing. And it could have been dangerous. If there had been a trial, something could have went wrong and Jared could have been exposed to the will of this cold blooded killer, Bottoms, who was the mastermind of this plot to “just kill someone” as James testified at his hearing. Melinda Bottoms was also involved in the plot. The three were sentenced to life in prison without parole, making this mom rest easier.

I wrote that title to remind myself. I keep thinking it’s Sunday. I worked the weekend. It tends to mess up my reality.
I would like to introduce you to two very important people- my son and my sister. They are new to Xanga.
Well, actually, my son, fritzthespacepirate, had a Xanga a couple of years ago. He’s a myspace person, mostly, now. He is on Xanga to participate in the WWC. He likes to write.
My sister is new to this. She is also a writer, just didn’t know it for a while. She is belcharlie
Please visit their sites and say hello.
Writing is a family trait for us. I am trying to figure out a way for my mom to join us. I suppose I’ll have to go over and set her up with a Xanga site. She is very creative and prolific. I think she would enjoy reading what others have shared with us and showing off her own work.
Okay, here’s a question. When I’m writing my weblog entry, why does the xanga editor question the spelling of xanga, but not myspace?
Have a great Su….er, um…. Monday!

Roger and I decided a couple of weeks ago that we would “Discover Ohio”. He is a fan of history and haunted houses and I just enjoy traveling to different places and seeing different styles of architecture in housing. Sunday we took off on a road trip. Ali was designated photographer as I was driving. We had no idea where we were going. On our way “there”, I gave them a little history of Carroll County from my newspaper days. This brought us to Morgan’s Raid.

This house below is near where the Union forces engaged in a skirmish with the Raiders. This is near Salineville, Ohio.

This plaque is at a church some 10 miles north of Salineville. The raiders then rode an additional 3 miles north then doubled back toward Salineville. Some of the raiders are buried in this cemetery.

On our drive we happened upon the quaint little town of Dungannon. It is home to this church:

Just outside of Dungannon is this log cabin. I have an affinity for log cabins as I grew up in one. Ours has asphalt siding put on in the early 1900′s, which covers many additions. We passed two others on our adventure.

This is just a big old hose we saw on a side street in Lisbon. I’d like to have a home such as this or the first one, but I know that won’t likely happen.
My husband hates stairs. LOL

These were just a few of the old buildings we saw on Sunday.